


No Answer

by thelittlealchemist



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:33:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24638386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thelittlealchemist/pseuds/thelittlealchemist
Summary: After the battle against Father ends, those injured in the fight are admitted to the hospital. Some have it worse off than others, and it becomes a waiting game to see if they'll ever recover.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 44





	No Answer

It was finally over. 

Those injured in the battle against Father were rushed to the hospital, and cleanup crews began working on the damage done to central and the surrounding area. The group from Xing returned home, to bury their beloved friend, to be crowned emperor, and to finally get the protection they needed. 

Everyone could relax at last, and return to their regular lives. 

Save for a handful of people. 

In the hospital, most rooms were filled with soldiers who sustained some sort of injury in the fight. A couple rooms held more important members of the military. In one room, Roy Mustang adjusted to his life of blindness and Riza Hawkeye recovered from her previously fatal wounds. In the other, Edward Elric rested after the long and intense fight, and began discussing the physical therapy he'd need to go through to get his right arm back in shape. 

Ed laid in his hospital bed. Looking to the one beside him, he watched his brother sleep, chest slowly rising and falling as he caught up on 5 years of missed rest. It pained him to see all the hospital devices hooked up and plugged into his little brother, but he knew there was no way he'd recover on his own. He'd been through so much. And it was his fault. 

He closed his eyes, laying flat on his back. No time for the blame game right now. Alphonse was back and beside him, and that's all that mattered. He'd be paling around with him again in no time. They'd get to make up for all the time they lost spent searching for a way to fix themselves instead of living like normal teens. 

The door swung open, interrupting his thoughts. Winry Rockbell ran in practically throwing herself at Ed, wrapping her arms around him. Pulling away, she looked to his right arm. The automail she had carefully crafted was gone, in its place an arm of flesh and blood. Taking notice, Ed raised it, flexing it lightly. He could barely move it, with how atrophied it was. The intense strain he put it under right after getting it back didn't help matters, either. 

"So, looks like you won't be needing me anymore." She said, gently intertwining her fingers with his hand. 

"Dont be stupid. We were friends way before I needed your automail, what makes you think im gonna just leave? Besides…" Ed slapped his good hand onto his left leg. "... I've still got the leg for you to nag me over."

She smiled, standing up straight beside the bed. Turning to look behind her, she asked how Al was doing. 

"He fell asleep almost as soon as they got him settled in. Im starting to get a little worried," Ed answered, sitting up.

Winry approached his bed. The doctors had already cut his hair, leaving it practically shaved, save for the bangs. It looked like a somewhat sloppy version of his childhood haircut. She gave an amused smile, noting that she'd have to tease him about it when he woke up. 

She remained with the brothers all day, only leaving to visit Miss Hawkeye. Al remained asleep, never once stirring during her visit. As visiting hours came to a close, she bid her farewells, promising to return soon. Ed waved her goodbye, then looked to his brother, eyes still closed. His worry grew, but he pushed the thoughts away. 

Edward couldn't sleep that night. Even with the exhaustion from the past few days seeping into his very bones, his mind wouldn't let him rest. He didn't think he'd be able to sleep until a doctor updated him about Al's condition. Fearing the worst, his mind raced with every worst possible scenario. _Would_ Al be able to recover? At the least, he knew that he wouldn't be able to recover _fully_ , and would likely have to rely on a crutch of some sort to get around. 

His entire body ached, even down to the toes of his automail leg. But all he could think about is what he put Alphonse through. 

And that was all he thought about until morning came. It felt like months had passed by the time the sun rose, and the nurses entered the room to check up on the boys. He answered the nurse's questions in a dismissive tone, clearly trying to focus on the man tending to his brother. His nurse took notice of this, and assured him that they would inform him of his brother's condition as soon as they were fully sure of all the details. 

Ed relaxed slightly, still anxious, but more cooperative. When the nurses left, he looked to the tv stationed in the corner of the room. It was the only thing he had to keep his mind distracted. Maybe someone would come in to visit. Talking helped keep his mind off things. 

As if hearing his silent plea for companionship, the door opened, and Ed quickly sat up in bed.

Izumi entered, wearing a hospital gown like he was. The chest area of it was stained lightly with blood. No doubt the intensity of the fight worsened her condition--but it was nothing she couldn't recover from. 

She took a seat beside his bed. "I'm surprised you're awake--you took the most damage out of all of us."

"I'm not resting until I'm sure Al is okay. Shouldn't _you_ be resting, Teacher? You fought pretty hard out there, too, even with--"

"I am doing _just fine_ and there's no reason you should think I'm wor--" she began to retort, but gagged mid-sentence, vomiting blood, backing up to avoid splashing Ed.

Ed looked at her in concern as Izumi coughed and reached to the sink to grab a paper towel. She wiped her mouth and rinsed her mouth at the sink, taking a moment to recover before returning to the bedside. Waving her hand, she dismissed his worry, though she was still lightly coughing. 

"You don't have to call me Teacher anymore. You showed me out there that your skillset is way beyond me." She said sitting back down beside him. 

She'd already expelled him and Alphonse, but they still insisted on calling her teacher. It only felt right to continue to show her the same amount of high respect for the woman who taught them everything they know and cared for them like they were her own. Even though his ability seemed to be higher than hers now, Ed still saw her as his teacher, and he was hesitant to refer to her as if she were any other person.

But she asserted that they were on equal ground now. Sig had told him this before, but hearing it from his former teacher herself seemed to get it in his head.

"Right. Sorry...Mrs. Curtis."

He'd have to get used to it. 

"It's alright. Im just glad to see you're okay," She replied, nodding. Looking past Ed to the still unconscious Al, she continued. "How is Alphonse doing?"

Ed winced slightly. "I'm not sure. He's been asleep since we got here."

Izumi's soft smile turned to a look of concern, watching the young blond as he lay in his bed. " He was always a strong fighter. Im sure he won't give up." She looked back to Ed. "He'll be awake before you know it. He's just been through a lot."

The tone she spoke with had a motherly feel to it, as if she were talking about her own son, but sounded like she was trying to assure herself just as much as she was Ed. He understood her fear, and why she put of the front that she fully believed Al would be fine. 

She already lost one child. She couldn't face the possibility of losing another. 

After a bit more talking, Izumi was brought back to her room, and a nurse cleaned up the red fluid she'd spewed earlier. Ed was left alone once more, with nothing but the sound of whatever cartoon was playing and his thoughts to keep him company. 

Night after restless night, he'd be unable to think about anything but what they had all gone through in the past 5 years. All the death he'd seen, all the battles he fought, the horrors he'd faced, all came crashing down on him. He was finally able to rest, but his mind was clouded with guilt, and when it wasn't Al that plagued him, it was the aforementioned events leading up to now. 

This is how it was for the rest of the week. Someone would come and visit, ask about Al, and keep Ed company until they were told to leave, and Ed would dwell on the past 5 years. Winry took his leg so she could work on it back home, returning at the end of the week to reattach it.

She walked in, greeting him cheerfully, but quickly dropping the carefree attitude when she saw the look on Ed's face. 

He looked empty. Defeated. Hopeless. She hadn't seen him look like this since….

She looked to Al, then back at Ed. "Is he…"

He nodded. "Al's in a coma. They don't know if he'll wake up."

His voice was barely above a whisper. Winry dropped his leg in the chair beside his bed and fell onto him, bringing him into a tight hug. He returned it, squeezing her beyond comfort. She didn't say anything, except for _I'm sorry._

Ed buried his face in her shoulder, leaving it wet with tears. He mumbled, that it was his fault, and that he'll never wake up and its his fault. Winry pulled away from the hug. 

"Don't say that. He'll be fine, you know how strong he is. He's just been through a lot… and that isn't your fault. You _both_ with through with it. It's his fault just as much as yours."

He gave a small nod, leaning foward again, resting his head on her chest. She put a hand on the back of his neck, lowering her head to kiss the top of his. 

"He'll be okay, Ed. Don't lose faith in him. You got him his body back, and before you know it, he'll be awake and thanking you."

Edward kept her words in mind. Weeks passed, and every now and again the doctors would update him on Al's condition. _He's stable, but there's no sign of improvement. He's slowly getting better._

He made sure to talk to him everyday. Even if he couldn't reply, it felt weird to just ignore him.

Ed stood beside his bed, stretching, hating being stuck in bed. He picked up the weight given to him by the nurse, working his right arm. 

"Gotta get my arms even again. Can't let anyone get the wrong idea, haha…"

No response as usual. 

"How's your nap? Bet you're having a great dream about cats. Is it anything like in the tv shows? Are you dreaming of yourself in a sitcom?"

Ed started writing out his days. 

_Nine A.M. Got up and ate breakfast. Twelve Noon. Had lunch. Two P.M. Winry visited._

It followed a pattern. Every minute seemed to drag out. 

_Four P.M. Had dinner._

If Alphonse would just wake up... he could finally do all the things he so badly wanted to do with him, when they were still kids.

_Six P.M. Watched TV._

Would things ever return to normal? Has normal ever been an option for the two of them? 

_Eight P.M. Looked at Alphonse. Ten P.M. Went to bed._

Eventually, the nurses began bringing good news. _his vitals are improving. He's recovering well._

The new month began. _There was slight movement._

Ed shot up in his bed, nearly falling out of it as he rushed to his feet and to the side of Al's bed. He looked down at his brother. The nurse stood beside as well, tending to the machines hooked up to him. He watched her for a moment, then took a deep breath before reaching to his brother's hand.

He grabbed it gently, and his heart skipped a beat when Alphonse slowly grabbed his in return. Relief washed over him. 

"You're alright…" 

Ed slept soundly that night for the first time in months.

The next morning, he called everyone he could think to to tell them the news. One by one, they came to the hospital to visit Alphonse. He already looked better than when he first checked in--his skin had more color, his hair no longer wispy, and slowly, he was getting less thin. His recovery was slow, but steady. Even after Ed was discharged from the hospital, he stayed at his side every day. Although he no longer could use alchemy, the staff still knew better than to try to make him leave. 

Every day, Ed took Al's hand and squeezed, getting a squeeze back. It wasn't much, but it kept him hopeful. 

He kept the window beside his bed open, letting the golden light shine on him. He couldn't wait until he was awake and able to fully feel the warmth of the sun, and see the smile on his face and he experienced all of life's joys with a normal body. 

A week comes and goes. Friday afternoon, Ed and Winry are beside him as usual. 

"Do y'think we should do some big prank for when he can finally come home?" Ed asked, fiddling with the cuff of his coat.

"That could be fun. Did you guys prank each other when you were little?" Winry replied, leaning forward, resting her elbows on her knees. 

"No...but its never too late to start. It's just one of the things we'll finally get to do, with our lives back to normal, more or less."

Winry nodded, sitting up. "What should we do? Fill his house with cats?"

"I'd… like that."

The pair snapped their heads to Al, crying out in relief and joy when they saw him looking back at him. 

He still looked exhausted, but he was _awake_.

Ed immediately threw himself onto him, wrapping him in a brotherly embrace, tears flowing. Winry followed, latching onto him as soon as Edward separated from him, kissing him on the forehead and hugging him tight. 

"I knew you'd miss sleeping, but…" he paused to wipe away tears of joy. "...that was ridiculous."

The two hugged him once more, gently. Alphonse smiled, limply wrapping his thin arms around them. Finally able to fully feel joy, he embraced them, before looking to the brother who stayed at his side the whole time. 

"Brother...you _stink_."


End file.
